We’re looking forward to introducing you to Jessica Mathews. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Jessica, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Since I have a full-time job on top of being an author, my day-to-day involves a lot more spreadsheets than I’d like! I do get up at 5 am and am working (from home normally) by 5:30 am. I get off around 3 pm and run errands, meet with friends and family, or take a quick cat nap with my two cats. It depends on what I need to get done and when. On Wednesdays, when my friends get off work, we meet for dinner and write. We also discuss marketing, setting up vendor tables, vending opportunities, and where we are getting stuck in our work in progress. Every weekend, I am setting up a vendor table somewhere new to sell my books and promote my work.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a published author of over forty books for children and adults. I write pre-k through first-grade readers and early reader chapter books for second-grade readers. For adults, I write fantasy novels and have collections of poetry, short stories, and my photography. I am also the president of a local non-profit called the St Louis Writers Guild. Our mission is to promote literacy in our community and to support authors at every stage of their writing journey. I like to go to events, talk to new writers and encourage them to finish their projects.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
My grandfather taught me the most about work. For as long as I can remember, even though he was retired from his full-time employment, he worked several volunteer positions at various locations around our city and never hesitated to help anyone in need. He worked until he couldn’t and always tried to stay as busy as possible. At every job he had, he did the best job he could and always showed up on time. He took pride in his work and taught me that I should too. He also taught me that if I didn’t believe in what I was doing, then I shouldn’t be doing it. When I first decided to start publishing the stories I had worked so hard to create my entire life, he encouraged me to keep going when I got discouraged and even offered to pay for the first one to get me started.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There were a lot of times when I almost gave up. Sometimes, all it takes is one negative comment to send you spiraling and stop you from doing the thing you love. But sometimes, all it takes is one positive comment to encourage you to keep going. It’s easy to decide to quit when things get too hard or too expensive or too overwhelming. It’s harder to stick it out and not give up. Thankfully, even if they didn’t always understand what I was trying to do, my friends and family supported and encouraged me to keep going when I wanted to quit. They rallied more times than I can count to help me reach a deadline or goal, even if that meant they were doing something trivial for me, like spending their evenings in front of the television affixing labels on postcards.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
You have to have a national best-selling book or be published by a publishing house with a big name to be a “real” author or a “good” author. This isn’t true at all. I have read so many books on the best sellers list that were actually terrible and so many books by indie authors that we so good I told everyone I knew about. The indie authors are slowly getting the recognition they deserve, but we aren’t quite at the level of the best sellers yet.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If immortality were real, what would you build?
A giant library with a kitchen and living space that I never had to leave. To be fair, though, I still wouldn’t get through my TBR pile even with immortality. There are way too many books, and even with infinite amounts of time, too little time to finish everything I want to do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jessicamathewsbooks.com
- Facebook: @jessicamathewsbooks
